Drum controller



July-3, 1923.

. R. B. HUNTER DRUM CONTROLLER Filed July 19. 1920 w!) WJ|/. o/ r) 05M 11 .J I. 2 l r m w W F b? h /!b a m 5 Wm w w 0% L 1 m) m d B)! @r x L 1 ii i I I Patented July 3, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD B. HUNTER, OF llIIL'iUAUIZEE, $715601 4.

MER MFG. ('10., OF MIL'WAUKEE, 3718 603131151, A (JGRIFOBLL.

-1 TEE CUTLER-HA1- -QN OF WISCONSIN.

DRUM CONTROLLER.

Application filed July 19,

' To all whom it may co /were.

Be it known that I, Brennan l5. Hoirrnn, a citizenot' the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drum Controllers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to drum controllers and more particularly to controllers adapted to effect joint control including series parallel commutation of a pluralty oi electric motors.

An object of the invention is that ol providing a simplified controller tor the foregoing purposes comprising a mnnmumnumber of parts compactly and conveniently arranged.

Other objects and-advantages will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically certain of the embodiments which the invention may assume in practice and the same will now be described, it being understood that the invention is capable of embodiment in various modified form 'ialling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention; while,

Fig. 2 illustrates a slightly modified form thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the same illustrates a drum controller adapted to effect acceleration control including series parallel commutation of a pair OiilGl'CtllC motors M M the latter to be supplied with current from lines L L and being pro vided with steps of starting resistance r to 7-.

More particularly the drum controller comprises a set oi eight stationary contacts designated as 10 to 17, and co-operatmg rotatable drum carrying contact segments designated by the same reference numerals as their corresponding fixed contacts but supplemented by letters a or i). The segments are divided into three electrically independent groups whereas the seg ments of each group are electrically connected.

As illustrated, the controller is adapted to efiect eight distinct operating points indicated by lines a, Z), 0, d, x, e, f, g of which a 1380. Serial No. 397,374.

to g indicate acceleration or resistance variation points while it indicates the transition ect'ivcly by their co-op rating segments 1" l 15 whereby the motors are con nected across the supply lines in series with one another through resistances r to T the circuit connections being obvious.

in position Z) resistance r is excluded through engagement of segment 10 with its contact 10. in position 0 segment 14. is in engagement with its associated stationary contact whereby resistances r and 0' are both excluded, whereas when in position (Z, segment engages contact 13 thereby connecting the motors in series directly across the supply lines.

Upon movement of the controller to position :L, the connections last described are mainained whereas engagement of the respec *e segments .1 12 15 and 16 with their (co-operating fixed contacts serves addi tionally to connect the motors across the line allel with one another, resistances r p i being included in the circuit of motor hi and resistances 1- and r being included in the circuit of motor M lv ovement oi the con 'oller to position (2 serves to interrupt the s ries connection between the motors, the parallel connections thereof being unaffected.

N =vement of the controller to position f erves to excluce resistance r from the circuit of motor M and similarly to exclude resistance r from the circuit of the motor M while movement of the controller to position g serves to connect said motors directly across the supply lines in parallel relation.

Obviously by the 'li'oregoing arra11;a'( .ment the motor c rcuits when connected. in par 11 i are mai l l oi substantially equal resistance, similar 1 sistance variations being simultaneously effected in both.

Vlhe such equality of the resistance value l e two circuits is not essential and wnere it expedient to increase the number of operative positions of the controller and the number or? segments there t, it is pos sible to rial increase in the number of acceleration points without any increase in the number 0-5 fixed contacts or resistance steps.

ill)

Such an arrangement is illustrated in Fig, 2 of the drawing wherein the arrangement of the fixed parts of the controller identical with that atoredescribed. In thin stance, however, the number oi o ating points of the drum has been incrmsed to eleven, the number oil segments being increased by addition ot segment .17.

The co-operation of the various controller parts and the connections eti'ected thereby are identical with those a'foredescribed except that the angular positions and ranges of certain segments have been adjusted to provide for exclusion oi? the resistance sic s progressively in each instance, thus providing for starting and acceleration of the motors in eleven progressive stages or operating points of the controller inclusive ot' the transition stage, whereas the "formerly described construction provider but sight such stages.

Since in series-parallel controllers as heretofore constructed ten s'tatioi'iar contacts and a correspondingly increased numher out co-operating parts were required to provide the number ot operating points effected by the construction of Fig. 1, it is obvious that each or the atoredcscribed con-- structions is adapted to effect a material conservation in the number Oil parts and in space requirements.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A series parallel drum controller comprising a plurality of contacts and a plurality of electrically independent sets of segments, certain of said sets of segments being (Jo-operable with certain of said contacts to effect all the parallel circuit connectionsprovided by the controller and other of said sets of segmentsbeing co-operable with certain of said contacts to effect all the series circuit connections, the number of said contacts being not greater than the number of operative positions of the controller.

2. A series parallel drum controller comprising a plurality of contacts and a plurality of segments, the latter being arranged in three electrically independent groups, two of said groups of segments being jointly co-operable with certain of said contacts to effect all. the parallel circuit connections provided by the controller and the third set of segments being co-operablo with certain of said contacts to eifect all the series circuit conned tions, certain of said segments being arranged to maintain continuity of circuit during series parallel commutation, the number of said contacts being not greater than the number of operative positions of the controller.

3. A drum controller adapted to effect control including resistance variation and series parallel commutation of a plurality of circuits, comprising a plurality of drum segpoints including resistance variation and series parallel comn'iutation points, said contacts and segments being co-ordinated to maintain continuity of circuit during series parallel commutation and the number of said contacts being not greater than the number of said operating points and being not greater than half the number o't resistance sections to be commutated.

5. A controller for a plurality of motors comprising steps of series resistance for the motors, a plurality of contacts and a plurality of drum segments co-operable therewith to provide a number of operating points including resistance varying and series parallel commutation points, the number of said contacts being not greater than the number of said operatii'ig points and being not greater than twice the number of said resistance steps.

6. A controller for a plurality of motors comprisin steps of series resistance for the motors, a plin-ality ot' contacts and a plurality of drum siq'i ents co-operable therewith to provide a number of operating points including resistance varying and series parallel commutation points, the number of said contacts being twice the number of said resistance steps and being less than the num-.

ber o! s; id operating points.

7. A controller for effecting resistance Variation and series parallel commutation of the circuits of two motors, comprising four steps or series resistance for the motors, eight contacts and a number of drum segments co-operable therewith to provide eleven operating points inclusive of resistance variation and transition points, said contacts and segments being arranged to maintain continuity Ojii circuit of the motors during series parallel commutation.

S. The combination with a supply circuit L L and translating devices M M respectively connected to lines L L of resistance, including sections 7' to r, and a drum controller comprising contacts 10 to 1? and three sets at co-operating segments, one set including segments 10, 12, 13*, 14* and 15, another set including segments 10", 11 12 and 13 and a third set including segments 14", 15 16 and 17 substantially as shown, contacts 11 and 14 being respectively connected to opposite terminals of translating device M contacts 13 to 16 being respectively connected to opposite teroperated to selectively establish series or parallel connections for said translating de vices inclusive and exclusive of said resistance.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

RICHARD B. HUNTER. 

